Moy, Karl, Schaffer, Jason, Hammer, Michael P., Attard, Catherine R.M., Beheregaray, Luciano, Duncan, Richard, Lintermans, Mark, Brown, Culum, and Unmack, Peter (2023) Alternative conservation outcomes from aquatic fauna translocations: Losing and saving the Running River rainbowfish. Aquatic Conservation: marine and freshwater ecosystems. (In Press)

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Abstract

1. The translocation of species outside their natural range is a threat to aquatic biodiversity globally, especially freshwater fishes, as most are not only susceptible to predation and competition but readily hybridize with congeners.

2. Running River rainbowfish (RRR, Melanotaenia sp.) is a narrow-ranged, small-bodied freshwater fish that recently became threatened and was subsequently listed as Critically Endangered, owing to introgressive hybridization and competition following the translocation of a congeneric species, the eastern rainbowfish (Melanotaenia splendida).

3. To conserve RRR, wild fish were taken into captivity, genetically confirmed as pure representatives, and successfully bred. As the threat of introgression with translocated eastern rainbowfish could not be mitigated, a plan was devised to translocate captive raised RRR into unoccupied habitats within their native catchment, upstream of natural barriers. The translocation plan involved careful site selection and habitat assessment, predator training (exposure to predators prior to release), soft release (with a gradual transition from captivity to nature), and post-release monitoring, and this approach was ultimately successful.

4. Two populations of RRR were established in two previously unoccupied streams above waterfalls with a combined stream length of 18 km. Post-release monitoring was affected by floods and low sample sizes, but suggested that predation and time of release are important factors to consider in similar conservation recovery programmes for small-bodied, short-lived fishes.

Item ID:	80766
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1099-0755
Keywords:	Australia, Burdekin, captive breeding, conservation, freshwater, hybridization, Melanotaeniidae, threatened species
Copyright Information:	This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made. © 2023 The Authors. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Date Deposited:	26 Oct 2023 00:43
FoR Codes:	41 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES > 4104 Environmental management > 410404 Environmental management @ 70% 31 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 3103 Ecology > 310304 Freshwater ecology @ 30%
SEO Codes:	18 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT > 1803 Fresh, ground and surface water systems and management > 180301 Assessment and management of freshwater ecosystems @ 100%
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